Power of Collaboration

When I was a child there was a rhymn that my 4th Grade teacher taught our class. It went something like, "If we all pull together, together, together ... if we all pull together, how happy we'll be!" This afternoon was a pull together kind of day. A sister agency faced an operational crisis late this afternoon. Twenty-five men in a supportive housing situation were suddenly faced with being homeless. What to do? Shelters are full. What to do? Three colleagues said, "We won't let each other or the community down." We decided to "live united." The result was interesting. Strangers suddenly became friends. Client needs outweighted agency boundaries. Collaboration, old fashioned sharing, and a lack of selfishness ruled the day. The value of 25 men became the focus and they won. But, not only those 25 men, but the community won. There was no rancor. There was no shouting. There was no "look what we've got and what you don't have." There was only one clear, sustaining goal ... keep those 25 men from becoming homeless! They won. While the actions of this community caring and good didn't make the news or will not be reported in local papers, it really was news that makes a difference. As the sun set over downtown Atlanta and the little Gateway Center bus rolled along Auburn Avenue and Peachtree Street, you could hear -- if you listened very closely -- the heartvoices singing, "If we all pull togehter, together, together ... If we all pull together, how happy we'll be!"